27th June 2015, New Delhi, India. Front of the Biotique store that sells skin whitening products in the upscale Khan Market in New Delhi, India on the 27th June 2015

There is a multi-million dollar industry in India in various skin whitening products and services. India's obsession with fair skin is well documented: in 1978, Unilever launched Fair & Lovely cream, which has subsequently spawned numerous whitening face cleansers, shower gels and even vaginal washes that claim to lighten the surrounding skin. In 2010, India's whitening-cream market was worth $432m, according to a report by market researchers ACNielsen, and was growing at 18% per year. Last year, Indians reportedly consumed 233 tonnes of skin-whitening products, spending more money on them than on Coca-Cola.